My new ride!

I have been driving a Jeep for the last 7 years. It has taken me to and from UF for two years, out on dates with my sweetheart, home from the hospital with my baby boy and all the way through the first year of his life. There are a lot of memories that the Jeep has been a part of but J and I have someone who is wanting to buy it so we needed to find something else. This past Tuesday, J. Gus and I went to test drive a new-to-me truck and we ended up driving it home that night. I didn't really expect to ever drive a truck, and let me tell you it is taking some getting used to, but I like the way it handles and the ride is so comfortable and smooth. For those who have ever rode in a jeep you know it is just the opposite!! My biggest transition is giong to be learning to park the big thing! Here she is:




It is a 2009 Chevy Silverado 4x4 crew cab. It only had 22,900 miles on it. The best and most important thing to me was that it had ebony interior. I swore a long time ago that all of my vehicles would have ebony interior. I love an ebony interior! It cleans easily and doesn't show dirt, wear & tear like gray and tan seats do.

J was the one who really wanted a truck. He wanted us to be able to go in my vehicle more often because his is always hooked to a trailer and filthy!! But I am excited that I will be able to pull and haul things too!! We also discovered last night that the bed of the truck is a great place to put Gus and Allie to play because they can't escape!! They had a ball running around in it. I can't wait to see how many more advantages I can come up with.

And just because I can't post without a picture of Gus, here is Gus and Sidney (my parents australian shepherd). Poor Sidney puts up with A LOT!!

Our Summer Vacation!

Last week, J., Gus and I loaded up our camper and headed south for our first family vacation! We left Thursday and came back early Sunday morning, so it was just long enough to do some fun things but not too long to be gone with a one-year-old. We stayed at the Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey, FL and it had a great family atmosphere where kids were riding bikes until dark and playing games in the streets. I hope we are able to go back again soon when Gus (and maybe a brother or sister) are big enough to play too.

Our original lot, #90, was too small for our camper so they let us move to #89.

We're not sure why it said "campground host" but the lot was perfect with plenty of room and great creek access.

We went to two beaches while we were there, Siesta Beach and Venice Beach. The water was gorgeous at both beaches but Siesta Beach was our favorite. It was rated the #2 beach in the country I think. Gus had a great time in the sand and water and walking on strangers beach towels on the beach!! I had to run him down several times!! Both times we left the beach Gus was asleep before we left the parking lot, too bad we don't have a pretty beach a little closer to home!! J. and I also learned that Gus and a campfire don't mix. We couldn't keep him away from it! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

The canoe ride, pictured above, was a little nerve racking because Gus screamed when we tried to get him to wear a life jacket so we gave in and let him ride without it. Of course that meant while he was splashing over the edge in the gator infested creek I was praying he wouldn't fall overboard because I sure didn't want to have to jump in after him!!

This last picture is my favorite. My two boys are something else ya'll! They are so much alike it isn't even funny. There was just way too many things that went on over the weekend to share them all but we had a great time and would definately go back!!

A "Corny" Weekend Ahead!

Tomorrow my mom and I are planning on "putting" up corn. My dad grows this huge garden every year and boy do we enjoy it but by the time it all dies we are usually glad to see it go. It's a lot of work to pick, process and freeze/can all of those vegetables, however it's nice to pull out good peas in December too!! I love corn on the cob, fresh from the field, there's nothing better. So I thought I would share with you how we cook it. I lot of people boil their corn but I think it looses a lot of its taste that way. So here's the way my family does it:

1. After you have shucked and silked the ears place in microwavable dish and cover with SaranWrap.

2. Cook in microwave, 2 minutes per ear.

3. Roll in BUTTER and salt and pepper.

4. Enjoy! How easy and quick is that? It really does taste better than boiled corn to me and it's a lot less work!!

Watermelon Parade!

This past weekend, in spite of the horrible humidity, my friend Amy and I, took our boys to the local Watermelon Festival Parade! Once my car was loaded down with a wagon, umbrellas, sunscreen, snacks and hats, we headed out. Surprisingly, we were able to get a great and convenient parking spot with time to spare and unload our cargo.

The boys did great with all of the noisy sirens and people throwing candy at them. This was Noah's first experience at a parade and I think he had a good time. I forget who he was waving at in this picture but he is just so cute!!

I'm not sure what their favorite part of the parade was but it could have been these huge dogs,

or the really big tractors,

but if I had to guess I would say it was the suckers (they each had two)!!!

The boys were covered in a sticky, sugary slobber and sweat but I think they had a really good time. They even received a new toy, since you know neither of them have anything to play with. The local Ford Company threw beach balls and they both caught one (or their mom's caught one)! This is our wagon loaded down and headed back to the car.

Amy and I enjoyed a frozen coke from Burger King and turned the A.C. on high for the ride home. I think it was a good time for all of us!

Our little Monkey is One!!

This weekend family and friends gathered around to celebrate a big day in Gus' life; he turned the big ONE!! Our front yard, and once the rain started our front porch and living room, was full of people who love my little boy and wanted to share this special day with him. While the decorations didn't turn out the way I had hoped because of the rain, I think the party went well and everyone had a good time. Most importantly Gus had a great time! He didn't crash until 7:30 that night and except for the few minutes I woke him up to eat supper and take a bath he slept until 7:30 the next morning!! Here are some pictures of the decorations:

Table centerpieces,

Party Favors,
Food table,

This cake was my project on Saturday! There are 6 cake mixes and over 9 cups of buttercream icing in this thing. Except for the slight sag in the middle it turned out pretty good I think. Here's a closer picture:

Ms. Cindy Jo made Gus' smash cake, isn't it too cute? She is so talented and I can only hope that some of that wears off on me through the years!!

He had a blast in his cake. I don't know how much he actually ate but he had a good time playing in it!!

Gus had some good friends at the party: Allie, Noah, and Veda!

We had a fun time and J. and I really appreciate everyone that helped to make his big day so special. Gus might not remember his 1st birthday but I will never forget it! I pray that God blesses us with many more birthdays with this special angel.

My "Helper"

This week has been really busy getting ready for the BIG birthday party on Sunday so I haven't taken much time to post. I have however had some cute pictures that I thought I would share with you all.

This picture is going to be one of my favorites. These two were such big helpers while Amy and I were trying to can green beans last week. They really enjoyed playing in this cooler full of ice water & beans. Amy and I realized...once again.....how difficult it is to do certain things with kids!!! I think these two ate more beans and ice and scattered them on the porch more than they actually "helped". But they did provide plenty of entertainment!

In these next two pictures Gus was once again "helping" Mommy bake a cake. Doesn't he look like the best helper ever???!

Yes he is going for the beaters. I didn't manage to get a picture but he was sucking the chocolate clean off of them!

He gets this from me because Lord knows I love me some cake batter and icing! When Daddy questioned our behavior we just told him that Gus was practicing for his birthday cake!!!

I know it's a little early but J and I went ahead and gave Gus his birthday present! J finished putting it together and Gus had to take it for a spin. My parents gave me and wagon for my 1st birthday so I thought it would be neat to give one to Gus. I am sure that over the years this wagon will haul a wide variety of things. I think that Gus would prefer it to have a motor, being the speed demon that he is, I just hope it is a little while before he learns he can attach it to the 4-wheeler and pull it around!

Pool Party Anyone?

When I was around 6 or 7 my parents put in a huge underground pool. I still remember watching the big machines dig the hole from my bedroom window. This pool was where we stayed during the summer months. It has hosted many a birthday party for my brother and I. We have so many memories of eating homemade icecream, boiled peanuts and swimming in this pool. Needless to say however, the years have not been kind to the pool. The tile needs to be replaced around the top and the whole bottom and sides need to be resurfaced. These defects result in small leaks that make it almost impossible to keep the chemicals regulated, a fact that drives my mom insane all summer long. She typically lets the pool turn green during the winter and this year was no exception. I didn't take a before picture but it was a MESS! My mom even considered not cleaning it out this year but my dad wanted Gus to be able to swim (let's just say that Gus has my dad completely wrapped)! So Papa and Uncle John pumped out the water and bleached the pool and Gus and I dropped by to see the progress. Of course Gus needed to get in there with Uncle John. This picture is them sitting on the bottom in the deep end in a small puddle of water.

This is Gus trying to climb out because that water was like ice! It felt like being in the springs.We tried it again a little bit later but he still was too chilly to stay in for long. I just know that Gus will have lots of great memories in this pool too (at least once it warms up)!I just had to share this last picture because it cracks me up. It was his first experience with sunglassess which were a little too big. He looks like an elf doesn't he?!!